Currency racket busted in city, 2 engineers held

Nagpur: Gadchiroli city and local crime branch (LCB) dismantled a fake currency note manufacturing and distribution network operated by two brothers who allegedly took online tutorials on making the counterfeit notes at their home in Nagpur.The brothers, Mayur (31) and Aditya Doijal (26) — one a mechanical engineer and other a civil engineer — and their accomplice Aditya Rechankar were nabbed from their flat in Trimurti Nagar on May 17. The operation led to the seizure of high-tech printing equipment, bond paper and counterfeit notes valued at Rs39,700. One more person had been earlier arrested in Gadchiroli.The racket came to light on May 15, following a complaint from Pratik Anas, a bank manager, about fake currency notes being deposited in an ATM. CCTV footage revealed that on May 11, Pramod Kove, a resident of Brahmapuri in Chandrapur, allegedly deposited fake Rs100 notes worth Rs2,100. Kove was soon arrested by the investigating officer, Vinod Chavan of Gadchiroli police station.Police said Kove claimed to have received the notes from Aditya Rechankar, 19, a resident of Armori Road, in Gadchiroli. Rechankar allegedly sourced the currency from a contact known as ‘Jeetu' in Nagpur, said police. A team proceeded to Nagpur on the night of May 16 and conducted the raid in Trimurti Nagar. Specific recoveries comprised 31 pages of Rs50 fake notes (Rs1,550), 180 pages of Rs100 notes (Rs 18,000), 4 pages of Rs200 notes (Rs 800), 12 ready Rs100 notes (Rs 1,200), and numerous cut pieces and mixed denomination prints.A case was registered at Gadchiroli police station under Section 179 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The accused were remanded to police custody till May 22.Investigations are ongoing to trace the full supply chain, including the mysterious ‘Chitu', and possible networks in Vidarbha. SP Gadchiroli, M Ramesh, praised the efforts of additional SPs Kartik Madhira, SP Gokul Raj G, ASP Aniket Hirde, LCB PI Arun Phegde and the team led by Chavan and Bhagat Singh Dulat.